Banada: A period in Canadian history where everything is banned. This is a dark period where moderate bans which contribute to progress are taken over by zealots banning everything from oxygen to rollerblading. Blame Canada turns into Ban Canada. Canada is eventually banished.
------
A vignette -
I had barely gotten over my Just Desserts fiasco, when I got a call from a source who informed me of a protest taking place at The Square. The Square was where all the demos usually took place. The first time I had heard about demos in The Square, my friend invited me to a flower demo, I thought she meant they would be demonstrating their flower arranging skills, but rather they were protesting flowers. I could never smell a rose the same way after that demo.
The Square was packed. All wearing thongs. Men and women. A woman with a bullhorn chanted "Keep your thongs off our bodies". What are they protesting this time? I asked my source. Cheap labor was her reply. A lone woman in the corner carried a sign that read: Road side thongs, not road side bombs", "Diana sees every demo as an opportunity for a peace rally" was my source's reply when she saw I looked confused.
I felt like rushing to a pun. "We're not surrounded by throngs of demonstrators, we're surrounded by thongs of demonstrators," I couldn't help myself. This is what 6 years of watching Smutty Girls had done to me. My source defying stereotype, quipped "Punny, very punny, get it?" I did. Suddenly I felt threatened. My source could pun. The pun is mightier than the sword. But why feel threatened, we were on the same side, weren't we?
Suddenly, I heard a voice. "Aren't you the writer who wrote about sarongs made in Thailand for Girly spot magazine ? "Again, how did a stranger know this about me?"
"It was a good project" I shot back in a futile manner.
"Have you even been to Thailand?" He asked.
"No." The truth was I didn't even know where Thailand was and I had never even met the woman for whom I wrote the story but I had to defend myself or it was quickly going to turn into sarongs of demonstrators.
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Just desserts - When equity gets nasty
Just Desserts :
The punishment inflicted on those promoting social responsibility ( and more specifically, socially responsible baking ) yet behaving irresponsibly in their own lives ; thus igniting the fury of those - socially responsible or not - around her.
---
When Equity Gets Nasty - a Love Story
The influence of social responsibility gaining momentum in our culture, I decided to venture out and put my pseudo - journalistic skills to good use. I say Pseudo, because it took a year and a half after graduating J-school to discover that CAR skills are not in fact the skills you need to drive a car. (Yes, I actually wrote that in a cover letter). CAR is Computer assisted reporting for those not in the know.
I reported my new story idea to my mother. "Shouldn't you be looking for a job?" she inquired incredulously. Well yes, that was what I was supposed to be doing. But, that's not any fun.
"You might want to try dusting your room once in a while", was another off the cuff remark.
Dusting could wait. Justice could not. Or so I thought. That's proved to be a fatal mistake. I've discovered people are generally irritated by those who sniffle a lot.
Hence the nickname: Dusty
Never put your chores on hold even when the clarion call to a better society sounds its horn louder than a fog horn.
Oh, I dust - just a little hyperbolic anecdote for narrative purposes.
I wanted to write about bakers who use fair trade products - why? Because I'm an obsessive. Once I start on a tangent, I must pursue it to its logical conclusion. Because I enjoy baked goods. Because nobody likes the idea of slave labour - especially when you're eating chocolate.
I entered the bakery Just Cake, notebook and pen in hand eager to learn. I was greeted by a server and explained my story idea: "Aren't you the one who took our tax money to go on vacation?"he asked a little irritated.
"Well, it wasn't really a vacation..." I said wondering how he could possibly have obtained that information. He pulled out a bunch of photos. "Isn't this you lying on a beach in a bikini?" How did he get those photos? "What are you, stalkerazzi?" "No, Taxerazzi". "I'm here to talk about just desserts - get it - just desserts". "It's a fun little pun". I said.
"Yeah, I've read your column ; you're obsessed with puns." said one server.
"Oh, I get it, and you'll be getting your just desserts", said another in a tone that wasn't all that reassuring.
In the end, Just Cake wasn't really very just - and it wasn't really cake. I'm not sure what I ate.
One thing I've learnt about social responsibility is that being socially responsible means never take money that doesn't belong to you. Never yell at your parents. Never yell at strangers. Never yell at shopkeepers - even when they've pissed you off. Get a job. Pay your taxes.
Then, we can truly enjoy our just desserts.
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
The punishment inflicted on those promoting social responsibility ( and more specifically, socially responsible baking ) yet behaving irresponsibly in their own lives ; thus igniting the fury of those - socially responsible or not - around her.
---
When Equity Gets Nasty - a Love Story
The influence of social responsibility gaining momentum in our culture, I decided to venture out and put my pseudo - journalistic skills to good use. I say Pseudo, because it took a year and a half after graduating J-school to discover that CAR skills are not in fact the skills you need to drive a car. (Yes, I actually wrote that in a cover letter). CAR is Computer assisted reporting for those not in the know.
I reported my new story idea to my mother. "Shouldn't you be looking for a job?" she inquired incredulously. Well yes, that was what I was supposed to be doing. But, that's not any fun.
"You might want to try dusting your room once in a while", was another off the cuff remark.
Dusting could wait. Justice could not. Or so I thought. That's proved to be a fatal mistake. I've discovered people are generally irritated by those who sniffle a lot.
Hence the nickname: Dusty
Never put your chores on hold even when the clarion call to a better society sounds its horn louder than a fog horn.
Oh, I dust - just a little hyperbolic anecdote for narrative purposes.
I wanted to write about bakers who use fair trade products - why? Because I'm an obsessive. Once I start on a tangent, I must pursue it to its logical conclusion. Because I enjoy baked goods. Because nobody likes the idea of slave labour - especially when you're eating chocolate.
I entered the bakery Just Cake, notebook and pen in hand eager to learn. I was greeted by a server and explained my story idea: "Aren't you the one who took our tax money to go on vacation?"he asked a little irritated.
"Well, it wasn't really a vacation..." I said wondering how he could possibly have obtained that information. He pulled out a bunch of photos. "Isn't this you lying on a beach in a bikini?" How did he get those photos? "What are you, stalkerazzi?" "No, Taxerazzi". "I'm here to talk about just desserts - get it - just desserts". "It's a fun little pun". I said.
"Yeah, I've read your column ; you're obsessed with puns." said one server.
"Oh, I get it, and you'll be getting your just desserts", said another in a tone that wasn't all that reassuring.
In the end, Just Cake wasn't really very just - and it wasn't really cake. I'm not sure what I ate.
One thing I've learnt about social responsibility is that being socially responsible means never take money that doesn't belong to you. Never yell at your parents. Never yell at strangers. Never yell at shopkeepers - even when they've pissed you off. Get a job. Pay your taxes.
Then, we can truly enjoy our just desserts.
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Foreignurgh - In this we are sitizens
Foreignurgh:
A frustration experienced by those who are annoyed by the labelling of others as foreigners ; prompting sit-ins.
----
Tired of being called a foreigner?
Call 1 800 sit-izen
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
A frustration experienced by those who are annoyed by the labelling of others as foreigners ; prompting sit-ins.
----
Tired of being called a foreigner?
Call 1 800 sit-izen
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Monday, August 13, 2007
Marie-M design : profile
Demi Moore took pregnancy out of the closet when she posed nude and pregnant for Vanity Fair way back when the millenium was merely a reference in a Prince song. It made pregnancy something sexy in pop culture; something to celebrate rather than hide. It said pregnant women everywhere should feel good about themselves (whether you look like Demi or not - that wasn't really the point).
One fashion designer in Montreal has taken maternity clothes out of the closet (the word maternity does not really do her line justice) by creating a line of clothes for expectant mothers that she wanted to be stylish and comfortable. Marie-M Legare (the M is for Martine - but she goes by the name Marie-M) has been designing clothes for moms looking for fashionable, yet wearable pieces in her St-Laurent blvd. (in Mile End) boutique for almost a year now. Having worked many years in the garment industry in Montreal, she learnt a thing or two about the art and the business of it and decided she wanted to design her own line and open her own shop. She felt there was a market for stylish maternity wear and she wanted to create fashion that would make women feel good about themselves - sexy. Her website reads: Restez ravissante et sexy !
I asked what her influences are and she responded by telling me that she follows the latest fashion trends. She uses stretchy fabrics so they can be worn from the first month to the last month of pregnancy and beyond. Her designs follow the curves of the new mom and can be worn even after the fnal push. She works with viscose, denim...
Marie-M suggests starting the pregnancy with two pieces : a low rise jeans and a black tube 3 in 1 that can be worn as a top, dress or skirt and a nursing pack consisting of a two piece nursing pajama in pink or blue and a nursing top in white. She also makes lingerie and sells jewellery by local designers.
Prices range from 69 $ to 250 $.
Marie-M
5344 boul. Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 522-3389
Closed Sunday.
http://www.mariemdesign.com/
Pinkgrapefuit
100 % funscientious
One fashion designer in Montreal has taken maternity clothes out of the closet (the word maternity does not really do her line justice) by creating a line of clothes for expectant mothers that she wanted to be stylish and comfortable. Marie-M Legare (the M is for Martine - but she goes by the name Marie-M) has been designing clothes for moms looking for fashionable, yet wearable pieces in her St-Laurent blvd. (in Mile End) boutique for almost a year now. Having worked many years in the garment industry in Montreal, she learnt a thing or two about the art and the business of it and decided she wanted to design her own line and open her own shop. She felt there was a market for stylish maternity wear and she wanted to create fashion that would make women feel good about themselves - sexy. Her website reads: Restez ravissante et sexy !
I asked what her influences are and she responded by telling me that she follows the latest fashion trends. She uses stretchy fabrics so they can be worn from the first month to the last month of pregnancy and beyond. Her designs follow the curves of the new mom and can be worn even after the fnal push. She works with viscose, denim...
Marie-M suggests starting the pregnancy with two pieces : a low rise jeans and a black tube 3 in 1 that can be worn as a top, dress or skirt and a nursing pack consisting of a two piece nursing pajama in pink or blue and a nursing top in white. She also makes lingerie and sells jewellery by local designers.
Prices range from 69 $ to 250 $.
Marie-M
5344 boul. Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
(514) 522-3389
Closed Sunday.
http://www.mariemdesign.com/
Pinkgrapefuit
100 % funscientious
Mazel Snog : In this we are ethno-coital
Mazel Snog :
Shagging somebody who enjoys using the expression Mazel Tov - especially after sex.
---
Coitus was interruptus by a very loud Mazel Tov, and finished with another exclamation!
To which I replied: Mazel snog!
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Shagging somebody who enjoys using the expression Mazel Tov - especially after sex.
---
Coitus was interruptus by a very loud Mazel Tov, and finished with another exclamation!
To which I replied: Mazel snog!
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Namast-lay : Return of the DIY dictionary
The DIY dictionary was on a bit of a hiatus, but is now back in full force.
Namast-lay : Sleeping with someone who enjoys using the greeting Namaste.
Waking up, post-coitus, to find lover has gone but has left love notes signed at the end with Namaste.
Or: Sleeping with your yoga instructor.
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Namast-lay : Sleeping with someone who enjoys using the greeting Namaste.
Waking up, post-coitus, to find lover has gone but has left love notes signed at the end with Namaste.
Or: Sleeping with your yoga instructor.
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Perfide&Vache Morte - Artisanat&Multimedia
On Notre-Dame street, west of Atwater (near St-Henri), you'll find Perfide, a small boutique-gallery selling and showcasing the works of local artisans and artists. I spoke to José, one half of a team that owns Perfide (the other half being Julia - his girlfriend) at the boutique this week. No last names were given. That is how he signs his films he explained to me. No last names. José and Julia. They are a team; there is no longer an I, it is now "we".
He gave me a tour and explained that the boutique houses over 50 artists, fashion designers, graphic artists, mostly friends of his as well as a multimedia (audio-visual) collective which makes their work available on a website called VacheMorte.com.
The boutique opened 6 months ago, but he and his friends have been making films for a while. They are short films which run from 5 - 20 minutes long and are usually made with his friends, featuring his friends. As we talked, José logged on to vachemorte.com and showed me how the site worked and how to access the films. The designers are also showcased via the Perfide section.
I asked where the name Perfide comes from (perfide is French for perfidy). He told me it means malicious, malice, not very nice (which I already knew because I looked it up in the dictionary ; the OED also describes it as deceitfulness, untrustworthy ; it can also mean treachery). He and the artists are influenced by the horror - fantasy genre. He said, if you look around the shop you'll see monsters. Indeed, the monster does show up as a motif : on prints, t-shirts, dolls, toys, ...
He introduced me to a bit of the art in Perfide: Dresses (which look a bit like frocks or tunics) by Supayana who he said recently won an award; T-shirts and canvases by Patrick (no last names) who uses silkscreen techniques. T-shirts will be made in a limited quantity - a series of 4 for example - with an original print ; bags by Roadkill; graffiti inspired art by AXE; canvases by MTAF (more than a friend); bags by Sarcastik; painted toys (trucks, ambulances) by Some;
Damned Dollies; underwear; copies of Worn (the zine of used and recycled fashions); graphic books and what I thought was a handkerchief but which José said was a patch with "I heart bikes" on it (and now sold) by Dada Pomo - not to be confused with Dada Porno... and much more.
José explained that many garments are hand made and use either recycled or organic fibres.
Patrick prints his art on t-shirts from American Apparel. The price range varies. I saw a canvas for 74 $ as well as one for 400 $.
Perfide is located at 4217 Notre-Dame W. Montreal, Quebec.
http://www.vachemorte.com/
Generally opened Tuesday to Sunday: 12-6
He gave me a tour and explained that the boutique houses over 50 artists, fashion designers, graphic artists, mostly friends of his as well as a multimedia (audio-visual) collective which makes their work available on a website called VacheMorte.com.
The boutique opened 6 months ago, but he and his friends have been making films for a while. They are short films which run from 5 - 20 minutes long and are usually made with his friends, featuring his friends. As we talked, José logged on to vachemorte.com and showed me how the site worked and how to access the films. The designers are also showcased via the Perfide section.
I asked where the name Perfide comes from (perfide is French for perfidy). He told me it means malicious, malice, not very nice (which I already knew because I looked it up in the dictionary ; the OED also describes it as deceitfulness, untrustworthy ; it can also mean treachery). He and the artists are influenced by the horror - fantasy genre. He said, if you look around the shop you'll see monsters. Indeed, the monster does show up as a motif : on prints, t-shirts, dolls, toys, ...
He introduced me to a bit of the art in Perfide: Dresses (which look a bit like frocks or tunics) by Supayana who he said recently won an award; T-shirts and canvases by Patrick (no last names) who uses silkscreen techniques. T-shirts will be made in a limited quantity - a series of 4 for example - with an original print ; bags by Roadkill; graffiti inspired art by AXE; canvases by MTAF (more than a friend); bags by Sarcastik; painted toys (trucks, ambulances) by Some;
Damned Dollies; underwear; copies of Worn (the zine of used and recycled fashions); graphic books and what I thought was a handkerchief but which José said was a patch with "I heart bikes" on it (and now sold) by Dada Pomo - not to be confused with Dada Porno... and much more.
José explained that many garments are hand made and use either recycled or organic fibres.
Patrick prints his art on t-shirts from American Apparel. The price range varies. I saw a canvas for 74 $ as well as one for 400 $.
Perfide is located at 4217 Notre-Dame W. Montreal, Quebec.
http://www.vachemorte.com/
Generally opened Tuesday to Sunday: 12-6
Monday, August 6, 2007
Signs you're funny - In this we do signage
Here we document signage that inspires a smile. Spotted throughout the city of Montreal, we bring you the favorites:
1) Sign in knick knack storefront on St-Laurent Blvd. :
"Broken English is spoken perfectly here"
2) Sign in health food storefront on Monkland ave. :
"Hippies are always welcome"
3) Sign on gate of backyard:
"Beware of cat"
4) Sign advertising tattoo parlor on Notre-Dame street :
"Glamort"
Which brings us to the discussion of bilingual punning. It exists. Right here in Montreal. Will be on look out for more bilingual punning.
----
Have you seen the commercial where the woman is on her cell phone telling her man that she is pregnant and her cell loses reception. She can't hear his happiness at the news, so she assumes that he is not happy. "Way to step up", she says, while you see him yacking happily on the other end.
We hear that a lot in pop culture. Step up. You're not stepping up. You have to step up. Step up, or else, etc. Usually addressed to the man by the woman. This, for the most part, is a good thing - a consequence of the women's movement. We should all at some point "step up." Some men would like the world to know they have and are stepping up. Here is a song sung to the tune of Diana Ross's "I'm coming out" by men who are stepping up.
We're steppin up
We want the world to know
We've got to let it show
We're steppin... up!
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
(30% fun, 70% conscientious, or
30% conscientious, 70% fun)
1) Sign in knick knack storefront on St-Laurent Blvd. :
"Broken English is spoken perfectly here"
2) Sign in health food storefront on Monkland ave. :
"Hippies are always welcome"
3) Sign on gate of backyard:
"Beware of cat"
4) Sign advertising tattoo parlor on Notre-Dame street :
"Glamort"
Which brings us to the discussion of bilingual punning. It exists. Right here in Montreal. Will be on look out for more bilingual punning.
----
Have you seen the commercial where the woman is on her cell phone telling her man that she is pregnant and her cell loses reception. She can't hear his happiness at the news, so she assumes that he is not happy. "Way to step up", she says, while you see him yacking happily on the other end.
We hear that a lot in pop culture. Step up. You're not stepping up. You have to step up. Step up, or else, etc. Usually addressed to the man by the woman. This, for the most part, is a good thing - a consequence of the women's movement. We should all at some point "step up." Some men would like the world to know they have and are stepping up. Here is a song sung to the tune of Diana Ross's "I'm coming out" by men who are stepping up.
We're steppin up
We want the world to know
We've got to let it show
We're steppin... up!
Pinkgrapefruit
100% funscientious
(30% fun, 70% conscientious, or
30% conscientious, 70% fun)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Cocoa Camino - Interview Q & A
You might be wondering where last week's installment of Sweetery was. It was on hiatus. Back soon with new sweet stories. Need to hone my fact checking skills. Plenty of treats to dish about though.
Instead this week, I interviewed the folks who make Cocoa Camino products. I tried one of their chocolate bars and was very impressed with the taste. It rivals any fine chocolate on the market. The one difference is that theirs is a certified organic fair trade product ; and seeing as I brought up the subject of the fair trade movement in the first Sweetery, I thought it a good idea to interview a company that makes fair trade sweets .
Q: What is Cocoa Camino?
A: La Siembra Co-operative markets all its fair trade certified and organic certified products under the brand name of Cocoa Camino. The word "camino" means path in Spanish, so Cocoa Camino means the "Cocoa Path". The name was chosen to demonstrate that La Siembra is creating a new path, one that reconnects consumers with the producers who grow and harvest the ingredients for our products. This connection is very important to us, since our goal is to ensure that our trading relations contribute to improving the quality of life of our producer partners and their families through our Fair Trade and co-operative business model.
Q: Who started Cocoa Camino and when?
A: La Siembra Co-operative was created in 1999 by three friends working in international development. These founders agreed from the very first that they would establish a fair trade business that would operate as a worker-owned co-operative. They wanted to embrace the same democratic and transparent co-operative model that empowers the producers involved in fair trade, and they wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve business success while adhering to fair trade priciples. They investigated a number of business ideas, and identified a market niche for fair trade, organic hot chocolate. In the beginning, they produced all the hot chocolate themselves, working in the basement of First United Church after completing their day jobs. The hot chocolate was marketed under the brand name of Cocoa Camino. However, with the growth of this project, the founders soon realized that they needed more support, and transitioned the ownership of the business to two new worker-owners, Jeff de Jong and Kevin Thomson, who maintained the worker co-op model and fair trade business practices and who repositioned La Siembra's business model around fair trade chocolate. ...
You will find our brand name Cocoa Camino on all our products. Our chocolate bars, hot chocolate mixes, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and sugar can be found in supermarkets, health food stores and cafes.
Q: How did the partnership between farmers and fair trade start?
A: ...The main ingredient in (our) hot chocolate , organic cocoa, was first sourced from a co-operative in Costa Rica. From the very start, we wanted to develop trading relationships that adhered to the principles of Fair trade and that supported the development and empowerment of producer co-operatives. The priciples of fair trade are:
* Guaranteeing fair prices to producers;
* Paying premiums to improve social conditions in producer communities;
* Paying producers in advance to assist in long-term planning and pre-harvest financing;
* Supporting democratic participation in farmer-owner co-operatives;
* Ensuring that there is no forced labour;
* Supporting sustainable farming practices.
Today, we continue to follow the principles of fair trade as we source our cocoa from producer co-operatives in the Dominican Republic (CONACADO), Peru (CACVRA), and most recently Panama (COCABO).
Q: The sugar and cocoa are from farms in South America but the products are manufactured in Canada?
A: At the moment, we work with producer partners in the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as manufacturers in Europe and North America ... We also source our sugar from Paraguay and Costa Rica. Our chocolate bars are manufactured in Europe, our chips are manufactured in the US, and our hot chocolate and chocolate syrup are made in Ontario, while the milk used in our hot chocolates comes from Organic Meadows, a Canadian farmer co-operative. We have chosen a family-owned business in Switzerland to manufacture our bars in order to offer consumers the highest quality Fair Trade Certified and certified organic products.
However, in the long term and as our capacity increases and more manufacturing options become available, we are interested in increasing the amount of manufacturing that takes place both in Canada and in producer countries.
END.
La Siembra Co-operative is located in Ottawa, Canada. Tel: 613-235-6122, fax: 613-235-6877
www.lasiembra.com
www.cocoacamino.com
Pinkgrapefruit
30% fun, 70% conscientious, or
30% conscientious, 70% fun
Instead this week, I interviewed the folks who make Cocoa Camino products. I tried one of their chocolate bars and was very impressed with the taste. It rivals any fine chocolate on the market. The one difference is that theirs is a certified organic fair trade product ; and seeing as I brought up the subject of the fair trade movement in the first Sweetery, I thought it a good idea to interview a company that makes fair trade sweets .
Q: What is Cocoa Camino?
A: La Siembra Co-operative markets all its fair trade certified and organic certified products under the brand name of Cocoa Camino. The word "camino" means path in Spanish, so Cocoa Camino means the "Cocoa Path". The name was chosen to demonstrate that La Siembra is creating a new path, one that reconnects consumers with the producers who grow and harvest the ingredients for our products. This connection is very important to us, since our goal is to ensure that our trading relations contribute to improving the quality of life of our producer partners and their families through our Fair Trade and co-operative business model.
Q: Who started Cocoa Camino and when?
A: La Siembra Co-operative was created in 1999 by three friends working in international development. These founders agreed from the very first that they would establish a fair trade business that would operate as a worker-owned co-operative. They wanted to embrace the same democratic and transparent co-operative model that empowers the producers involved in fair trade, and they wanted to demonstrate that it is possible to achieve business success while adhering to fair trade priciples. They investigated a number of business ideas, and identified a market niche for fair trade, organic hot chocolate. In the beginning, they produced all the hot chocolate themselves, working in the basement of First United Church after completing their day jobs. The hot chocolate was marketed under the brand name of Cocoa Camino. However, with the growth of this project, the founders soon realized that they needed more support, and transitioned the ownership of the business to two new worker-owners, Jeff de Jong and Kevin Thomson, who maintained the worker co-op model and fair trade business practices and who repositioned La Siembra's business model around fair trade chocolate. ...
You will find our brand name Cocoa Camino on all our products. Our chocolate bars, hot chocolate mixes, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and sugar can be found in supermarkets, health food stores and cafes.
Q: How did the partnership between farmers and fair trade start?
A: ...The main ingredient in (our) hot chocolate , organic cocoa, was first sourced from a co-operative in Costa Rica. From the very start, we wanted to develop trading relationships that adhered to the principles of Fair trade and that supported the development and empowerment of producer co-operatives. The priciples of fair trade are:
* Guaranteeing fair prices to producers;
* Paying premiums to improve social conditions in producer communities;
* Paying producers in advance to assist in long-term planning and pre-harvest financing;
* Supporting democratic participation in farmer-owner co-operatives;
* Ensuring that there is no forced labour;
* Supporting sustainable farming practices.
Today, we continue to follow the principles of fair trade as we source our cocoa from producer co-operatives in the Dominican Republic (CONACADO), Peru (CACVRA), and most recently Panama (COCABO).
Q: The sugar and cocoa are from farms in South America but the products are manufactured in Canada?
A: At the moment, we work with producer partners in the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as manufacturers in Europe and North America ... We also source our sugar from Paraguay and Costa Rica. Our chocolate bars are manufactured in Europe, our chips are manufactured in the US, and our hot chocolate and chocolate syrup are made in Ontario, while the milk used in our hot chocolates comes from Organic Meadows, a Canadian farmer co-operative. We have chosen a family-owned business in Switzerland to manufacture our bars in order to offer consumers the highest quality Fair Trade Certified and certified organic products.
However, in the long term and as our capacity increases and more manufacturing options become available, we are interested in increasing the amount of manufacturing that takes place both in Canada and in producer countries.
END.
La Siembra Co-operative is located in Ottawa, Canada. Tel: 613-235-6122, fax: 613-235-6877
www.lasiembra.com
www.cocoacamino.com
Pinkgrapefruit
30% fun, 70% conscientious, or
30% conscientious, 70% fun
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